Ventilatory and cardiovascular responses to sufentanil infusion in dogs anesthetized with isoflurane

The ventilatory and hemodynamic responses to hypoxia, hyperoxia, and hypercapnia before and during sufentanil infusion were studied in 16 chronically tracheostomized dogs anesthetized with two concentrations, 1 and 0.5 minimal alveolar concentration (MAC) of isoflurane. Sufentanil was infused at a rate to obtain a constant end-tidal carbon dioxide (PETCO2) of approximately 50 mm Hg for each isoflurane level. Before the sufentanil infusion, the PETCO2 was increased to 50 mm Hg by adding CO2 to the inspired gas, to allow comparisons at isocapnic conditions. Sufentanil caused only minor hemodynamic changes but significantly reduced ventilation during both levels of isoflurane. The ventilatory response to hypercapnia decreased substantially, but there were no significant alterations in the ventilatory response to hypoxia. After sufentanil infusion, hyperoxia caused a larger decrease in minute ventilation and caused apnea in four dogs. These results suggest that administering sufentanil during isoflurane anesthesia causes a reduction in the contribution of the central chemoreflexes to ventilatory drive and, consequently, a relative increase in the contribution from the peripheral chemoreflexes.